History Department

“History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history.”

- James Baldwin

At Austin College, history is a living discipline, a series of ongoing interpretations and arguments that inform how we understand the world around us, how we got to where we are – and even who we are.

Developing our knowledge of diverse cultures and perspectives, we build widely valued critical skills through our examination of how the world has changed and continues to change.

In studying the past, we set our students on the path to future success.

Careers in History

“What do I do with a history degree?” Well, George W. Bush and Franklin D. Roosevelt both majored in history. Three current members of the Supreme Court have a history degree. In business, history majors make up two percent of college graduates, but six percent of CEOs of Fortune 100 companies. Austin College historians are lawyers, entrepreneurs, teachers, and more. What can you do with a history degree? Just about anything.

Diverse Interests

Austin College historians encounter a diverse range of peoples, ideas, and events, spanning centuries and continents. Recent classes have included the role of natural disasters in history, the development of scientific thinking, and the bloody international struggles that shaped the twentieth century. Darwin or DuBois, the Spanish renaissance or the Mexican revolution, American populists or Russian reactionaries – there’s a class for you.

Student Research

History at Austin College offers you the opportunity to work closely with faculty on developing your own research. Our students present their work at the Austin College Student Scholarship Conference, as well as at conferences around the country. Recent student research for Honors Theses and the Scarbrough Summer Research Program has included the life and legacy of Texas businesswoman Clara Driscoll, the relationship between corporations and gunslingers, and Hattie Caraway’s significance as the first woman elected to the US Senate.

International Travel

Fellowship Opportunities

The Department of History offers the Erwin E. Smith Research Fellowship, the Thomas W. Folbre Jr. Memorial Fellowship, and the Stephen F. Austin Fellowship for outstanding students. Austin College historians are strongly represented in campus-wide competitive opportunities, such as the Scarbrough Summer Research Program. The campus is also home to a vibrant chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national History honor society, which opens the door to a network of history majors around the country.

Austin Teacher Program

Alison MacManus Maher ’02

Majors: History & Philosophy J.D., Harvard University Attorney, Mosaic Family Services Alison worked as a clerk in the Alaska Supreme Court before becoming a public defender in Alaska. From there, she was a Special Project Attorney for Disability Rights Texas. She is currently a staff attorney for Mosaic Family Services, which provides legal services in… [Read More]

Ta’jin Perez ’12

Major: History, with a minor in Spanish Communications, Community Organizing, and Event Planning for Western Native Voice “Humanities courses, including history, philosophy, and foreign language, helped me gain an understanding of systems both in historical and cultural contexts. My professors at Austin College provided me the tools to think critically, assess needs of others as… [Read More]

Chelsea Freeland ’12

Major: History, minor in Chemistry M.A., East Carolina University, Maritime Studies Maritime Archaeologist, US Department of State’s Cultural Heritage Center “My history major, especially training in writing, is what got me a spot at one of the top archaeology grad schools in the country. Additionally, as a chemistry minor (a possibility at a liberal arts… [Read More]

Jennifer Wenzel ’90

Jennifer Wenzel ’90 completed majors in history and English at Austin College, and her career is an excellent response for the common question of what graduates do with an English career. A member of the faculty at Columbia University, Jennifer travels, teaches, and brings ideas to the top so others may also learn. She is… [Read More]